The News: Army's NY/LA High-School Reunion

By S.T. VanAirsdale

Some of today's movie news of note from around New York:

--It's been a while since I ducked into the long, cold shadow of "Hollywood's Original Blogger" Army Archerd, what with all that, you know, Hollywood blogging of his excluding the brains of the operation in New York. As such, we should be quick to capitalize on the slightest reintroduction to Bronx native Archerd, who came to us Tuesday from the "22nd Annual New York High School Alumni Reunion" -- in California, of course. Among the honorees were Canadian-born hack for the ages Arthur HIller (who, Archerd notes, apparently directed more films in NYC than in LA) and the lovely Rita Moreno, who also received a "pre-taped message of congratulations from friend and frequent co-star, Tony Orlando." Christ! First Rock Hudson, now this. How does Archerd do it?

--Remember that corrosive essay NY Post hatchet-ress Sara Stewart penned a few months back about Ben Affleck? This month in Details, Affleck responds. Well, sort of. Not really. I lost him when we started waving the oyster shell. (H/T: /Film)

--His previous appearance with the Coens during Tribeca may have been kind of a monotone bust, but ex-cinematographer / current director Barry Sonnenfeld will return to the SoHo Apple Store tomorrow, Oct. 4, to talk up the Insomnia Film Festival. The event pits teams of high schoolers and college kids against each other in a 24-hour filmmaking marathon; the winners gets free Apple shit while the last-place finisher takes home a copy of Sonnenfeld's lower-intestinal clog RV. Good luck to all.

--In other fest news, the Manhattan Short Film Festival wound up its 2007 season Sunday with prizes of its own, including the Best Film award for the UK export 100th of a Second and Best Doc to Kenya's I Want to Be a Pilot. The only American film of the class, Sonja Jasansky's Lines, was shut out. Save your outrage for '08; the fest resumes Sept. 21.

Posted at October 3, 2007 9:41 AM